


Star Wars: Jedi of the New Order

by Bbryan



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Deception, Fallen Jedi, Gen, Great Galactic War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-05
Updated: 2017-02-05
Packaged: 2018-09-22 08:02:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9594824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bbryan/pseuds/Bbryan





	

Ickson had a decent life as a Jedi. Stability, confidence, security, almost limitless knowledge, and the occasional assignment. Ickson Bailar had been a Jedi Knight within the New Jedi order for two years now. The rebuilt Temple on Coruscant was filled with murals, some that told of how the Old Republic fell and pulled itself from ash. Some depicting the Clone Wars and the fall of the Galactic Republic. The grandest murals depicted how Grand Master Skywalker was taught by both Obi-Wan Kenobi and Grand Master Yoda before they became one with the Force. The murals then depicted how Grand Master Skywalker brought his father, Darth Vader, back from the Dark side and defeated the Galactic Empire. It had been several centuries since Grand Master Skywalker had become one with the Force, and the New Republic had been flourishing. The Senate was fair, honest, and decisive. The Dark Jedi were the only remaining dark side users in the galaxy, however they were kept to the barren reaches of unexplored space and had abandoned their old ways of aggressive conquest of the galaxy. 

During one of Ickson’s regular sparring session with his old Master, Devin Quo, he received a summon to the Council Chamber. 

“I wonder what they could want.”

“Whatever it is-” Devin deactivated his saber. “You'd better get going. It isn't wise to keep the council waiting young one.” Ickson deactivated his saber and rolled his eyes. 

“I'm a Knight now. You don't have to call me ‘young one’ anymore.” Quo chuckled. 

“Old habits die hard. Now go.” Ickson headed off to the council chamber, passing several groups of apprentices, a few conversing Masters, and a couple librarians. He was quickly transported to the chamber room via elevator. The doors slid open and the full council was awaiting his arrival. Every council member was physically there, which didn't happen often. Slightly surprised, Ickson stepped forward so the council could address him. 

“I was summoned?”

“Yes, you were.” A Master closer to Ickson’s right spoke. “The Council has been… troubled… as of late.” 

“Troubled? About what?” His curiosity was now peaked. A council member off to Ickson’s left spoke up.

“We recently learned, through less than preferable methods, that the Ancient Sith Temple that lies in ruins deep below this one is still transmitting a very faint signal to Korriban.” Ickson was visibly shocked. Not only was he unaware that a Sith Temple existed on Coruscant at any point in time, but that it was sending a signal to Korriban, the ancient Sith homeworld.

“A Sith Temple… beneath this Jedi temple… transmitting to Korriban…” 

“Yes. However this Sith temple is much, much older than the Old republic. Several thousands years older.” 

“Why isn't this knowledge included in basic history lessons?”

“So that Younglings and unruly Padawans don't go wandering through ruins, where they could die or turn to the Dark side.” Ickson took a second to process what he'd just been told, yet it made him curious as to why the council would tell him now.

“Why tell me this? Just what am I being asked to do?” The Grand Master of the Jedi, Esandi Rebum, spoke up. She had been watching Ickson closely since he'd gotten there yet hadn't said a word. 

“You are being asked to shut down the transmitter here on Coruscant. Then you are to travel to Korriban, find out where exactly the signal is being received, and shut down the receiver if possible.” 

“Should I find out what's being transmitted, and retrieve a log if one still exists?” 

“Of course.” Ickson was intrigued, he wondered what the Sith could possibly want to transmit for thousands of years. 

“Wait… isn't Korriban within the territory of the Dark Jedi?” She nodded and leaned back into her chair. The Jedi Master just to her left leaned forward and spoke in her place. 

“That is a fact we've considered. You're being allowed to take three Jedi Masters, of your choice, with you. You’ll receive mission details from Setrul Tano, head of the Temple Guard. Meet her at launch pad 6 in 2 hours.” 

“Sounds… unorthodox… though I'll accept. Thank you Masters.” Grand Master Esandi nodded. 

“May the Force be with you.” Ickson left the chamber, his mind scrambling to select who he would take with him. His old Master of course, not only was Devin Quo a skilled bladesman and had a reputation of successful missions, but was also his friend and someone he trusted deeply. As Ickson was hurriedly making his way back to the sparring chamber to inform his old Master, he bumped into a friend of his, Jason Waln. The two had known each other since they were younglings, they'd helped each other pass the Gathering, and were study mates as they slowly made their way to becoming Knights. 

“Ickson! Woah hit the brakes on your speeder. What's the rush?” Ickson took a split second to consider Jason’s qualifications. Jason excelled in technology analysis, information recovery, and especially excelled in shutting down tech, mostly with his saber. 

“I just got a new assignment, and I want you to come along.”

“Ooh a new assignment? Just what kind of assignment is this?” 

“Mostly recon, however the council is allowing me to take three Masters along. Devin is definitely going to want to come, and you’re the second person I've even considered.” 

“Sounds excited. Well let's go find Jedi number 3.” The duo now went to the sparring room, informing Devin of the assignment. Of course, Devin was glad to go on assignment with his old padawan, it wasn't often that he was called upon for a mission like this. The third Jedi Ickson has chosen was another Knight he had grown up with, Shiel Seko. Jason had the childish thought that Ickson had a crush on Shiel, to the point where Jason would tease him about it in front of her. The four then made their way through the Temple toward the launch bay.

There awaited Setrul Tano, in full Temple Guard gear, except for the traditional face mask as she was very proud of her Togruta heritage and her direct ancestor, Ashoka Tano. The only known Jedi to bring corrupted Dark side Kyber crystals back to the Light. Ashoka’s dual white sabers became family heirlooms after her death and Setrul wore them proudly on her belt beside the standard Temple Guard double bladed saber, and her saber from when she was herself a padawan. Setrul was a tad impatient, especially when it came to missions that came down from the council itself. “Finally. Are they your contingent Ickson?” 

“Yeah they are. Devin Quo, Jason Waln, and Shiel Seko.” 

“I know who they are. It is part of my duty to know all Jedi in the Temple. Here's your holocards, they contain the mission details.” She handed each of us a small chip, not much larger than a galactic credit. We slipped them into the holocard ports on our wrist comms. “They also include directions into the temple below, names of Republic informants inside Dark Jedi territory, and several sets of coordinates. The coordinates are labeled so I won't go over them. May the Force be with you.” Setrul nodded to each of us and went on her way. 

“Alright so just how do we get into this ancient temple?” Shiel spoke up first, raising the obvious question. 

“Well let's take a look.” Jason flipped on his wrist comm, selecting the information regarding the Sith Temple below. It displayed a complex series of tunnels that led down into the planet and finally into a massive complex, now mostly in ruin. The signal’s source was plainly marked on the hologram. 

“Gracious, just how did the old Jedi Council keep this a secret? This Temple is massive, and it almost looks like a path has been maintained from how the map depicts the tunnel systems.” Shiel pointed out the tunnel she was referring to, the rest of us wondering the same thing. 

“It is puzzling how individual Jedi haven't picked up on the residual dark side energies this Temple must have.” Devin stroked his beard, staring at the map puzzled. 

“Here.” Ickson pointed to a remote tunnel entrance hidden underneath the southeast corner of the Temple. “That's our way in.” 

“Good eye young one.”

“Not young anymore, come on let's get going.” The four Jedi made their way to the hidden entrance of the ancient Sith temple. They had to take a much longer route to avoid suspicion, as they assumed the council didn't want anyone to follow them down there. 

The entrance was hidden beneath a massive statue adorning the outside corners of the temple. As per usual there were people admiring the grandeur the temple had, even though it had been designed and redesigned to be utilitarian. Over the centuries, fallen Grandmasters have had their statues placed about, to remind us of our history. Though now that history seemed moot. Shiel and Devin used mindtrick to put the illusion in the onlookers minds that we were not there, and nothing was happening. Jason and Ickson reached out with the Force to the statue, unsure exactly how to open the passageway. As they focused their minds on the statue, it stirred and corkscrewed into the sky. After a cloud of stale air filled with dust settled upon them, the dark pit was revealed. Jason took the first few steps, cocking his head and peering into the hole. 

“Alright, let's go everyone.” Ickson confidently strolled in the entrance. Shiel and Jason soon to follow. Devin made sure the mind trick would last long enough for them to get inside and followed after the three. Once they were all inside the stature receded to its natural position, trapping them in pure darkness. 

“That was unexpected…” Shiel commented. Devin ignited his blade, lighting the room moderately. 

“Indeed. We'd best get going. I have a bad feeling about this.” The three other Jedi ignited their blades, lighting the room to tolerable levels. As they made their way down the crepid hall, Jason was constantly reading the map Setrul had given them. It was redundant since their path was suspiciously clear, as though it had been maintained constantly. 

“I wonder just how old this temple is.” Shiel studied the fading text etched into the rusted walls of the hall. 

“The council told me it was thousands of years older than the old republic.”

“Which one? Sidious or Vishna?” 

“Vishna.” Jason's brow shot up in disbelief. Emperor Vishna’s rise to power came several thousand years before the rise of Darth Sidious, making this temple more than just ancient, nearly primordial in terms of Jedi and Sith. Shiel dusted off a bit of the wall she'd been eyeballing, attempting to read the text. 

“Darkness is my ally… in it… I find strength… this is Force text. How could the Sith conjure this? I thought only Jedi could will texts from the Force.” The three other Jedi turned to look back at Shiel and the text she'd just read. 

“The Force doesn't favor one side or the other. It may be a more difficult task for the other to achieve, but both Jedi and Sith can create Force text.” Devin wasn't surprised by the fact that the text existed here. 

“If that were true then Jedi would be able to create Force lightning.” Jason scoffed. 

“We can, GrandMaster Skywalker could in fact create Force lightning. As could Galen Marek, Vader's apprentice who, in the end, turned to the light.” Jason conceded his point. They continued down the hall, descending several flights of stairs. As they penetrated deeper into the unknown, a deep red light grew brighter. Jason pulled up the map and checked their coordinates. 

“We’re about to enter… what looks like the grand room… I think.” The four of them deactivated their sabers, as now the red light filled their vision. They hesitantly stepped forward into the large chamber, lit by statues holding red sabers in aggressive poses, a few in ruins. Ickson pulled up the map, disregarding the remarkable architecture and surprising condition. 

“This is amazing… I've never seen Sith architecture on this scale.” Jason studied the room fervently, trying to dedicate everything to memory for later. Shiel walked up to an old interface, it flickered to life in front of her and she hesitantly began to delve into its contents. 

“I wouldn't pay much attention to the minutiae of this temple you two. There must be a reason the council has denied us knowledge of this place.” Devin crossed his arms and watched them both. Ickson turned his head for a split second, acknowledging him even though he wasn't one of the subjects Devin was talking to. 

“I asked them that same question. They said they wanted to prevent unruly padawans from coming down here and being turned to the dark side. They're trying to protect us more than anything.”

“There's nothing here.” Shiel flipped through the interfaces many subsections. “Not one bit of data… it looks like they erased everything.” 

“They being who?” Jason interjected. “The Sith? Or the Council?”

“What does it matter Jason? The data they stored was most likely Dark side knowledge, Sith strategies, and records of who was doing what and where they were.” Devin turned toward Jason, irritation on his face. Jason turned toward Devin, disbelief on his.

“It matters Devin, because if knowledge is supposed to be free to all, why should Sith knowledge be forbidden??” Ickson looked up and realized the pair was about to start a heated argument. 

“Hey! Knock it off you two. This is exactly what the council was worried about. The Dark side is already influencing us and we haven't been here 20 minutes.” The pair broke their stare and looked at Ickson, the emotion slipping away. 

“You're right young one. This place is not meant for people to be in.” 

“Sorry Devin, I didn't mean to get short with you.” 

“All is forgiven. Let's get this over with soon.” They both seemed reserved and distant from an outwardly point of view, internally they were shocked at how quickly they'd succumbed to the subtle influence of the dark side. Ickson kept a keen eye on the pair, while taking the role of navigator. 

“Shiel, what are you doing?” She turned her head in acknowledgement.

“Hacking into the interface. Nothing is ever deleted.” Shiel went back to her self appointed task, fervently trying to crack the mainframe. 

“Alright, stay there. We’ll be back soon.” Ickson glanced back at her, wondering if by the time they'd returned, she'd be influenced like the pair before. He gestured for Jason and Devin to follow. They strolled deeper into the subterranean relic from a bygone era. The architecture fell away as they delved further, replaced by new displays and technology. 

“Ickson… what do you make of all this?” 

“I have no idea…” The three of them gazed, awestruck. The deepest room, the central meditation room, was packed with informational readouts, power sources, and one lonely transmitter. Jason took to the transmitter, trying to decipher its strange aesthetic. Devin did a lap of the room, getting an overview of the entire command center before them. 

“What are you seeing Jason?” Ickson stepped up to a data terminal and started pouring through the hundreds of files kept in the terminal. Jason shook his head in confusion. 

“I'm not sure… it almost looks like this transmitter was part of the original temple… and someone has rewired it.” Ickson looked over toward Jason, who was engrossed in the transmitter assembly. 

“Rewired it how?”

“Well, whoever they are, they've clearly brought it back to life… modified the data input module to compress the data for long distance transmission… upgraded the antenna… and turned the output power to minimum.” 

“Meaning?” 

“Meaning whoever did this, they seriously wanted the signal to look ancient on scanners… but in reality I'd bet that signal isn't carrying ancient data anymore.” Ickson pulled up a file dated the day before. 

“That's an understatement. This file is dated yesterday.” Jason and Devin turned their attention, skeptical of Ickson's statement. “I'm serious.” Ickson opened the file, he was in denial of what he was seeing inside and frantically began flipping through the many files in the interface. “Defensive strategies… patrol routines… civilian hotspots… governing buildings on Coruscant… size of the standing army… coordinates of the Jedi Temple… this… this is...” Ickson was at a lost for words. 

“This is espionage Ickson.” Devin came up behind him and shut off the interface. “Someone has been spying on Coruscant. Everything here tells me we’re being deceived. We need to leave, now. Gather what you can, I'll collect Shiel and we’ll meet you two at the entrance to this dismal place.” Ickson nodded in agreement, still recovering from the shock of this revelation. Devin quickly left the room to find Shiel. 

“Come on Ickson, download as many data packets as you can. I’m destroying this thing the old fashioned way.” Jason smirked and ignited his blade, slashing the infamous transmitter in half, leaving it as a melted pile of tech. Ickson frantically clicked a spare holocard into the interface and broke past the simple firewall blocking him from the command codes. He quickly filled the holocard with all the data it could physically hold and followed Jason out of the command center. They passed the now sizzling pile of rusted interface Shiel was working on earlier, they disregarded it and jogged on towards the entrance. They soon met up with Devin and Shiel, who were both working on getting the statue blocking their way out to release them from the dark abyss. Jason and Ickson both joined in, focusing their collective force power to overwhelm the hold the temple had on them. Finally, after some struggle, the statue reluctantly began to corkscrew into the air again, giving them the first taste of fresh air and sunlight they’d had in the last 2 hours.

“Ugh finally!” Devin quickly ran out and into the sunlight, Shiel and Ickson quick to follow. Ickson realized jason hadn’t yet come out of the depressing hole that led to the Dark Side. Ickson turned to look back and saw Jason staring intently at the black hall below. 

“Jason!” Jason snapped his head forward, a smirk falling from his face slowly. 

“What? I’m coming, I’m coming.” Jason slowly climbed the eroded stairs leading into the dark hall, the statue corkscrewing back into place and resealing the chamber. 

“You okay Jason?” Ickson was genuinely concerned for his friend, he didn’t want Jason to fall prey to the Dark Side. Jason gave him a confused look, cocking his head to add to the gesture.

“Yeah… I’m fine… why do you ask?” 

“You just… nevermind. Lets get to Korriban.”


End file.
